There was some time in Dawei. My car was driving a monk around to do some errands so we didn’t go directly but delivered some letters and devotionals so I reached my hotel at 5pm – and met the other two foreign tourists that passed us in an ute a life time two days ago along the dirt road.
I went to the Beauty Salon II to get my hair washed – so awesome! In Asia you don’t sit with your head backwards in an angle that hurts your neck and they quickly wash your hair.
You are in very comfortable position (this time, lying stretched out on my back) and she was washing and massaging with very strong hands my head, my face, my neck – and massaging my back. For a while even three people worked on my – left arm, right arm and the one on the top. Heaven!
I walked out in a daze! And feeling like a giant as I am about a head taller than the women at the beauty salon – or most women in Burma.
There are a few wats to see in Dawei – I just went to one of them. Apart from that I did some shop-front-shopping and was really amazed when I saw one store that had glass doors and windows. Went to a coffee-place. They seem a bit like the kopitans in Malaysia and Hainan. Everyone sits there, sips coffee or tea, smokes, nibbles on cakes or has some hearty meal all the while chatting and catching up.
On my second day I was wearing long pants and I really recommend women to cover their knees. It’s not that anyone was rude before but I had the impression I was less strange for everyone. Walking a back alley a woman came out of her yard and invited me to share her umbrella as long as we were walking the same way. So nice but considering our size difference I felt a bit uncomfortable.
School kids were looking at me in astonishment. Needless to say I smiled a lot and waved a ton of hellos.
